Bringing Organization To The Dreams God Gives

I’m a Type A person who finds great pleasure in getting things done. I like a clean house. I like to start and finish projects. I like to mark items off a to-do list and make plans because, really, if it’s on my calendar it’s going to get accomplished.

I used to think I wasn’t a dreamer, considering myself too practical for that. Then God used Holley Gerth and many of the ladies who write for this website to show me He’s the Dream Giver. He’s given me gifts and personality traits to use for his glory – and when all that merges it truly is a dream come true.

It’s really about the process of making choices about how we will spend our time, surrendering the details and timeline to God, and connecting with people.

Too often I’ve tried to do it my way, but God is working on me.

My dreams are about mothering and writing. I share our family’s adoption story because it’s my faith journey. I share about our everyday life so other moms know they aren’t alone. I believe stories have power – so I tell them and write them.

But real life doesn’t always allow me to write whenever I’m inspired. Sometimes I have to email myself an idea so I don’t forget it while I’m feeding the baby or doing laundry or grocery shopping. Other days the baby takes a longer-than-expected nap so I get extra time to work on whatever project is in front of me. God surprised me with a lake house management job a few years ago that I love because it combines my love for details, planning and hospitality.

Regardless of what the day looks like, I’m thankful for my iPhone that allows me to carry much information and many ideas while connecting to people anywhere. I know there’s a trendy topic encouraging moms to put their phones down. And, yes, there are obviously times to set the phone down and play and talk and dream with my family and friends. I don’t answer every phone call or text the minute it comes in. I turned off email and Facebook notifications because they were distracting. And I keep my phone on silent most of the time.

As a part-time, work-at-home mom, balance isn’t possible. Some days – um, let’s be honest, most days – require all of me as a mom. My capacity for the other things varies from day to day. I’ve realized my life isn’t divided into neat, proportioned pockets of time, so instead of balance I realize some days I wear my writer hat longer while other days managing three lake properties is my priority.

With that in mind, I want to share some of the ways I stay organized, almost entirely thanks to my iPhone.

OLD-FASHIONED PAPER CALENDAR – Okay, yeah, so all this talk about my phone and I still use a paper calendar. I like planners that have a monthly calendar followed by weekly pages. In here you’ll find my blogging schedule, appointments for my kids and myself, errands I need to run on given days, phone calls I need to make, notes to myself, birthdays I want to remember.

GOOGLE CALENDAR – Yes, two calendars. My husband and I sync our Google calendars, which are color coded. The five of us each have our own color as well as a sixth for “family” things, although my husband usually only views his own and our family stuff. So anything I want to make sure he sees, like dinner with friends, I put in the appropriate color. Meanwhile, I can see his schedule, which is helpful for when I want to add plans to his life.

WUNDERLIST – I’ve recently started using this and am finding it a good way to list longer-term projects. I have lists for writing, blogging, and lake house managing. It can be set up to send email reminders if I enter a deadline.

COMMUNICATION & SOCIAL MEDIA – My favorite ways to communicate with people when we aren’t sitting around a table are email, texting, and Facebook groups. Mastermind groups, book launches, Bible and book studies are wonderful ways to use Facebook groups, where conversations can be focused on whatever the shared interest is. Regardless of how we communicate, we need each other because we weren’t meant to do this life – especially the dreaming – alone.

Having some organization to my thoughts, ideas and different roles in life helps me keep dreaming – because, yes, even us task-oriented folks need some assistance in tackling the to-do list while pursuing our dreams.

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About Kristin Hill Taylor

Kristin Hill Taylor has lived in landlocked Kentucky her whole life but loves the water. She eventually learned to love the lake, even though not being able to see below the surface scared her. She’s learned to take other risks as God has showed her over and over again he’s faithfully in charge of the details. She lives in Murray, Ky., with her husband, Greg, and three kids – Cate, Ben, and Rachel. She believes in taking road trips, living in community, and seeking God as the author of every story. You’ll quickly learn her favorite story to tell is how God created her family through adoption after a hard season of infertility. Jump in with Kristin on her blog, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Comments

Great tips and encouragement here, Kristin. I think you know we have being “planners” in common. I’m very much a girl of order. God’s been really teaching me the flexibility and grace that comes from finding balance and letting go of my plans to follow His. As hard as that can sometimes feel in “real life.” In fact this week, He lead me to not write, or read, but just listen. There are a lot of voices in the world clamoring for my attention, and I needed to pause and listen for His. Of course, I broke my no social media rule this week to come here and visit you because this is a God thing and well, you are worth it. Love you, sister.

There are SO MANY noises. And while some are good, plenty of them are just distracting. I’m glad you’re seeking out God and His Truth. I’m certainly a planner by nature, and I used to think that was a bad thing, But I’ve learned that’s how God made me and I should use it for his glory … even though it means changing my plans plenty of times, some of which don’t even make sense. Drawing near to him is what matters, and it’s okay to be intentional with my time along the way. I love your encouragement here, Tiffany, and am so blessed to call you friend. xoxo